Thy Kingdom Come!

So what are we praying for?

the kingdom of God comes by itself without our prayers.

God is the king of the universe. He is ruling it all now. His kingdom comes whenever he wants it to come and is nowise dependent upon our actions.

Trying to stop God’s kingdom from coming is like trying to stop a volcano from erupting. It is coming ready or not!

But we pray in this petition that it may come to us also.

This understanding explained by Luther is talking about God’s kingdom of grace brought to us by His Holy Spirit. There are three aspects to God’s kingdom. Power, grace, and glory.

The kingdom of power is the means by which he orders all things in creation for our good. The sun to shine the rain to fall, the crops to grow, peace to rule, etc.

the kingdom of grace is the very place in which God rules our hearts governed by His Holy Spirit to believe in Jesus and trust in Him for our salvation. “The Kingdom is within you”

The kingdom of glory is the place where God rules visibly for all eternity and for which we also pray to arrive to us. This is heaven and eternal life which God has promised to all who have faith in Jesus, his Son, for their salvation. Jesus will come again to rule for all eternity at the end of time.

When we pray “Thy kingdom come” we are asking God to expand his Kingdom among us His Church. Use us Lord to bring your kingdom to others and so expand the kingdom of faith in our world.

make me a witness to your Gospel.

the Holy Spirit uses the Gospel to expand the kingdom of God to those who have not heard of or believed in Jesus.

we pray that we might be used in this noble endeavor so that others may be brought to the kingdom-- and one day experience His kingdom of Glory!

We are also praying that the kingdom of God come so assuredly to us that our faith may remain strong and we may grow ever closer to our Savior Jesus Christ.

this happens through His holy Word and Sacraments.

through these we are given the kingdom and maintain our status as subjects of the Almighty God.

Thy Kingdom come! Indeed come Lord Jesus come!